Dole launches three-day tour of 10 Kansas cities

Gov. Sam Brownback, former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole and U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder share political insights and jokes Monday during a homecoming stop by Dole in Overland Park.

George Luckman, a member of the American Legion post in Olathe, speaks with former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole during a gathering Monday at Olathe City Hall. Luckman recalled meeting with Dole in Washington, D.C., during the 1980s, and the senator "treated us like we were royalty."

Dole thrilled eager crowds of about 100 people each in Overland Park, Olathe, Paola and, finally, Ottawa during the first day of what he tantalizingly suggested could expand during the next few months into a 105-county sweep of the state.

In stop after stop, he professed not to be carrying an agenda. But the veteran political professional — he claimed to have a 45-year-old mind trapped in the body of someone twice that age — sent a message to modern elected officials who appear more devoted to inflaming partisan tensions than to resolving challenges. He appeared to deliver a special zinger to tea party operatives who place ideological purity above necessary solutions.

"I believed in bipartisanship and getting things done and reaching across the aisle," he said at Faith Lutheran Church in Ottawa. "I believe in a party of inclusion. I thought I was conservative. We've got some in Congress who are so far right they're about to fall out of the Capitol."

During multiple appearances, Dole mingled a critique of the Obama administration with a call for arms shipments to Ukrainians intent on repelling the Russians. He appealed while in Paola for U.S. Senate support for a treaty extending to other countries the disability rights common in this country. U.S. Sens. Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran, both Kansas Republicans, previously voted against the measure.

"They're trying to pass a treaty to prevent any discrimination of Americans traveling abroad," said Dole, among the nation's most prominent politicians with a disability. "I'd like to get the two from Kansas. We're working on it."

Dole, a man born of the prairie, toughened by warfare and directed to a life of public service by its people, completed the first phase of a three-day tour of 10 eastern cities in Kansas.

"It's an honor to be here with these good Kansas folks," he said. "I love this state."

In the Overland Park stop, he offered sharp critiques of President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressed concern about waning U.S. influence on international affairs and declared his favorite president to be a fellow Kansan — Dwight Eisenhower. Ronald Reagan would rank second, he said, with Abraham Lincoln in the top tier.

In response to a boy's inquiry, Dole told the story of being seriously wounded in combat during April 1945 as an officer in the 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army.

"I could never figure out why they put someone from Kansas in the Mountain Division," Dole said. "I never learned how to ski."

Dole sat comfortably at each stop in a big cushioned chair, but he declined to autograph materials due to a shaky left hand. In Overland Park, he also spoke highly of politicians joining him in the spotlight — U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kan., and Gov. Sam Brownback. He contrasted their Republican sensibilities with those of Obama.

Jokingly, Brownback asked Dole whether he was back in Kansas for the purpose of announcing a campaign for public office. He hinted certain politicians seeking re-election, including himself, might want to know.

Dole said he was content working part-time at a law firm in Washington. He is something of a fixer in political circles, but he doesn't carry the typical legal load of a practicing attorney. He downplayed his duties, comparing it to advanced paper shuffling.

"I move paper from the left side to the right side. Then I go home," he said.

At Olathe City Hall, the second venue of the day's trip, the former senator highlighted the presence of about 10 veterans assembled in the front row of the meeting room. It served as an opportunity to talk about Honor Flights of veterans to the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Dole was pivotal in helping raise $170 million for the project.

"We had a group called Save the Mall, which opposed it," Dole said. "Our defense was that we already saved it in World War II. We prevailed. It's now the most visited memorial in D.C."

Veterans George Luckman and Bob Williams, both of the American Legion Post 153 in Olathe, said they were touched by the dignity Dole exhibited throughout a long career in politics. Williams served in the Vietnam era, while Luckman was in uniform in the 1950s. Luckman had met Dole previously, but Williams hadn’t.

"We wanted to show our support for him," said Williams, who has provided color guards for a flurry of funerals for World War II veterans.

On Tuesday, the Dole caravan was to arrive in Lawrence, with an appearance at the Dole Institute of Politics, before shifting to Holton, Hiawatha and Troy. The venues Wednesday are in Atchison and Leavenworth. Plans call for Dole to return to Kansas in May and June.

Dole, 90, lingered at each stop to take photographs with all who were interested. Old friends, children and politicians hoping the winning vibe rubbed off Dole stood in line for the rare opportunity.

They knew the story of how a teenager from Russell emerged from economic depression to play basketball at The University of Kansas under Phog Allen. He left KU to enter the U.S. Army. The infantry officer was wounded twice in combat, resulting in 39 months of hospitalization and awarding of two Purple Hearts and the Bronze Star.

He was elected in 1950 to the Kansas House and served a two-year term before graduating from law school at Washburn University and moving home to practice law in Russell. He was county attorney for eight years before election to the U.S. House in 1960. He moved eight years later to the U.S. Senate.

Dole was the GOP nominee for vice president in 1976, serving as President Gerald Ford's running mate. He ran for president himself in 1988 and won the party's presidential nomination in 1996.